A British photographer recorded a galloping horse with 24 cameras in 1872, a result of people's surprising discovery of “film”.

Today, a cinema plays an important role in popular entertainment.

On the land of Yunnan, a southwest China's province with rich ethnic culture, generated many minority-themed films, such as Yi people's AShiMa, Bai people's Five Golden Flowers.

Today, we are listing some competitive cinemas in the city on the basis of its location, its advantages and its ticket prices.

Xinjianshe Cinema: “we have the best location in the city”

Location: the road crossing of Jianshe Road and Wenlin Street

Price: 35 yuan/one

Star-rating Standard: ★★★

Built in 2002, it is one of the earliest digital cinemas in the city. However, the showing mode has not been its trump card, but the location, since it is situated near one of the most flourishing commercial areas in Kunming and is surrounded by schools and colleges. Students have been a main targeting group for the cinema.

Compared with other downtown cinemas, the Xinjianshe Cinema is slightly inferior owing to its smaller projection rooms, aged equipments and uncompetitive acoustic and picture qualities.

Kunming Shimao International Studio-- “we have the largest screen”

Location: 4-5F North Pavilion of Zhengyifang Shopping Center, west Zhengyi Road

Price: 50 yuan/one

Star-rating Standard: ★★★★★

An attractive highlight of the cinema is the 25-meter-wide screen in the SPC video hall. Imported from the UK, the screen weighs 870 kilogram, providing clear and bright quality for both 2-D image and 3-D image. It boasts the largest screen in Kunming as well as in southwest China.

Besides, the advanced technical quality of the screening is another pride of the cinema. A modern video hall has been specially designed for the cinema--the Sky Garden which can contain 80 audience. It can be a bar at night and audience can enjoy the film while drinking.

Broadway Cinema-- “we have the most IMAX commercial screen”

Location: Floor 2, Southern Area of Wangfujing Commercial Shopping Center

Star-rating Standard: ★★★★★

When it was built in 2010, the cinema catered for audience from Chengdu and Chongqing. They boarded on the plane to Kunming just to watch the visual feast here.

The screen was imported from Harkness, a famous screen manufacturer in British. The screen is 21 meters in wide and 12 meters in height. It provides the audience with clear picture quality and brings the viewer right into the film.

Baoli Cinema-- “we are the most luxurious cinema in Kunming”

Location: Floor 6, Building A1, South Asia Town, Dianchi Road

Star-rating Standard: ★★★★★★

Price: 100 yuan/one

The positioning of the cinema is the first five-star theme cinema for private customers. The viewing hall is over 9 meters high. Each array pitch is about 1.2 meters and the viewers' entrance or exit do not interrupt others' viewing. The 3-D glasses are prepared for adults, kids and near-sighted viewers respectively. The VIP hall and POLY MAX hall are high-consumption oriented. It provides the best service for VIP customers.

Besides, the cinema booking or showing a film is based on the viewers' demand for film premier, family party and wedding are all available here. 　

Beichen Cinema-- “we are the most artistic cinema”

Location: Floor 4, Building E, Beichen Financial Center, extending line of Beijing Road

Price: 45 yuan/one

Star-rating Standard: ★★★★☆

If one has to find out a word to describe the Beichen Cinema, most people may say artistic. It is the only cinema arranging regular free film watching activities in the city. You can meet some well-known directors here totally free, such as Jia Zhangke.

Huanying International Cinema-- “we are students' favorite”

Location: Floor 7, New South West Plaza, Middle Renmin Road

Price: 35 yuan/ one

Star-rating Standard: ★★★☆

It is right located at the busy section at downtown. The discounted 3-D ticket price for students is 30 yuan.

New Kunming Cinema-- “we are the first Sino-foreign joint cinema”

Location: No. 43, Middle Nanping Pedestrian Street

Price: 40 yuan/one

Star-rating Standard: ★★★

The cinema cooperates with a Hong Kong-based company in 1996. Since then, it has been the first Sino-foreign cinema and has reformed the filming mechanism in the city. It was the third cinema with Dolby digiting dimensional sound in China at that time as well as the earliest cinema with the second-generation muti-hall cinema in the country.

Shanghai Yonghua International Cinema-- “we have 4-D film”

Location: Floor 7, Baidaxintiandi Shopping Center, No. 99 west Dongfeng Road

Price: 60yuan/one

Star-rating Standard: ★★★★★

It has been the first batch of cinemas with 3-D equipments in Kunming since 2008. It is also the first cinema awarded as five-star cinema in Yunnan Province in 2009. The 4-D filming was first introduced in Yunnan in this cinema last January.

Click here to view Chinese report.

(Editors: Lynn, Tracy)